So, yesterday I brought you my top 5 games that I think should/could be made into MMORPGs, either because its easy to do so or because they’d be a smash success, given the right development team. Today, I am gonna bring you guys my top 5 games that should NEVER be made into an MMORPG. Just like yesterday, these are my opinions, no matter how right I am you are entitled to your own. . . I kid, I kid. Enjoy the list:

1. Halo. Or, for that matter most, FPS games in general. Any O.G. MMOCrunch reader here may note that we did a piece on a possible MMOFPS of the Halo franchise back when we first opened our doors to the public. That is not the same thing I am talking about here. Halo would make an excellent MMOFPS, but a horrible MMORPG. You see, Halo has about 4 million fans, most of whom love their fast-paced run&gun shoot-em-up style of gameplay. The story is like that and the multiplayer is like that. MMORPGs are not like that. In order to be a good MMORPG you need to be able to develop your character and spend time with him. FPS games don’t allow you to “grow” with your character and, as such, they would generally make horrible MMORPGs.
2. The Sims. I know, I know. I can hear your voices now, “but Geoff there already is a Sims Online MMORPG.” Unfortunately it’s true. EA, in their infinite desire to torture us as human beings made a Sims Online game a few years ago, one that is still running today. This was a mistake. In fact if I had a time machine I’d go back and stop this monstrosity, among other things like *cough* pick some choice lottery numbers *cough*. In anycase, the state of the game speaks for itself. People within the game have created “new family members”, namely children, and have sold them off to others as some sort of weird slavetrade. It’s one of the most bizarre things any MMORPG has bred and one that only the Sims could have provided. The Sims is a single-player life simulator and should have remained so.
3. Life. While I am on the subject of “life simulators” I might as well include Life, in general. While not technically a game it is close enough for government work to be put on my list. All around the web there are “life” MMORPGs such as There, Second Life and IMVU, or something like that. Why the hell would anybody make an MMORPG (yes, they are massive and yes, people do roleplay) about something you can do in person? One of the main ideas behind games like WoW and City of Heroes is you get to act like somebody you can never be and what makes this better is that you can do it with a thousand other people just like you. I don’t want to log into a “life” MMORPG to act like some guy named Dave, thats boring. Why goto a virtual Best Buy when I can go to a real Best Buy right down the street from me? Somehow these things are successful, and I admit there is some novelty in them, but what they really offer are pseudo-alternate lives which, in my opinion, isn’t healthy.
4. Civilization. This should be a pretty obvious guess as to why it would make a horrible MMORPG. Namely, because the game is turn-based and the regular multiplayer is already slow enough as it is. Civilization is one of the last few good turn based strategy games on the market. Unfortunately there just isn’t any easy way to translate this into an MMORPG. Sometimes even the computer players take too long for me. Also, there is no Civilization “world” from which you could establish a setting. The world is anywhere you make it, whether it is Earth or just a randomly generated map.
5. Wii Sports. Was that a collective “duh” I just heard? Obviously, Wii Sports would make a horrible MMORPG. Actually one of the reasons why I decided to include it was because I wanted to keep up with my Nintendo theme from yesterday and what better way to end my mini-series than with the game that launched the Nintendo Wii into success. Wii Sports, while hilariously fun with friends/family, can’t ever be made into an MMORPG. It’s a trivial sports game and a very very simple one, at that. There is not a whole lot to do even in the online realm, which leaves the MMORPG realm sitting out in the cold. 

So concludes my top 5 games NOT made to be MMORPGs. I know, I threw out some shockers there but really can anybody actually see any of my games becoming good MMORPGs. Naturally, the Sims and “life” already have MMORPG renditions but can anybody say they are any good? I guess it depends on what you like. In anycase, this is my list and in no way reflects any sort of reality. There may very well be an awesome way to translate each one of these things into great MMOs. On another note, did you hear that scientists successfully cloned a pig with wings? Amazing stuff.

Got a game to add or an opinion to share? Feel free to drop it below (I read all my comments).

There are a lot of games being made out there. In fact there are so many being made across all platforms (Wii, PC, 360, PS3, DS, PSP, PS2, etc etc) that there are bound to be at least one or two titles that could very easily be made into an MMORPG given the story, world, or just playstyle. Some games, developer’s and publisher’s permiting, were made to be an MMORPG, and I have my personal picks right here. Enjoy.

1. Mario. I know what you are thinking: “how can you possibly make an MMO out of a platforming game such as Mario?” Well that is left up to the developers. You see, what makes Mario such a great idea for an MMORPG isn’t the gameplay mechanics but the world. Like it or not the Mushroom Kingdom is an awesome world and one that is ripe for exploration and dungeons. The setting already has numerous enemies, towns, and a very large world. I’m not saying you would play as Mario, himself, but rather an anonymous person within the world. Perhaps they could even throw in some RvR gameplay mechanics and allow people to be on the “evil” side. I would totally rock a Goomba. Any naysayers need just look at what Square and Nintendo did with Mario RPG, the game was amazing.
2. Zelda. You knew this one was coming. Seriously, Hyrule is one of the most epic kingdoms in any game anywhere. Again, Nintendo has set the stage with a huge world filled with multiple towns and a very real “bad guy”. I am, however, thinking this game could follow a more “Guild Wars”-esque style of [M]MORPG as opposed to a fully blown out WoW-styled MMORPG. The game could be more story-centric and provide some awesome side-games/quests. Zelda is known for its awesome extras.
3. Pokemon. Nintendo serves up yet another awesome MMORPG idea. This is the last one, I promise. Pokemon started out way back when in the hayday of the Gameboy and was an instant success. The whole idea of capturing monsters and fighting other people with em is already an MMO unto itself, it is just lacking the other players. Although for those interested you can find a neat freebie Pokemon MMORPG here.
4. Elder Scrolls: Any of them. Bethesda has created some awesome games, most notably Morrowind and Oblivion their perspective action-RPG games. The worlds are huge and incorporate a number of awesome skills combined with a near flawless FPS-type gameplay. This game/world is a PVPers wet dream and could be incorporated in nearly every aspect of the world. Of course, with this type of system, it is obvious that the people with better computers will be better players. Thats how these types of games work, I’m afraid. Still a good idea though, in my opinion, and with the opening of a new online studio this could very well become a reality.
5. Knights of the Old Republic. Everybody knew this one was coming. In fact, I’d have feared for my life if I didn’t include this game. People are fanatical about it becoming an MMORPG and with good reason; the game is a masterpiece. BioWare created an awesome story for their version of the Star Wars empire and it only further proves as to what good story-telling can do. With this game set as a base for the background story the MMORPG could sweep in and play off of that. Of course with the recent revealing of a LucasArts and Bioware deal many hopefuls are already expecting the game to be in development. Unfortunately, we have our doubts.

Those are my top 5 picks for games that could/should be amde into an MMORPG. A lot of people will disagree with my choices, and some will probably have very good reasons. There are problems when making each one into an MMORPG as MMORPGs play very differently than most other types of games. However, given the time and work, any one of these games could be made into a stellar success. Is there any particular non-MMORPG game you’d like to see become an MMO? Tomorrow I’ll be listing my top 5 games that should NOT be an MMORPG, ever. Ever ever ever. No matter what.

A few days ago I mentioned that NCSoft’s Exteel opened up it’s Beta up to the public. So I went ahead, signed up and now have a few hrs into the game with my level 9 Corporal Mech. I gotta say that I’m loving the game so far, its basically like a extremely fasted paced version of Counter Strike. You log into a central chat area, similar to Blizzard’s BattleNet, and you can chat with other players as well as see a list of open games.

Once you join a game it’s strictly a FPS. There are all the usual game types, FFA, team, control points, as well as a survival type where players battle NPC mechs for a set period of time. There are no rounds, its all set to a timer with unlimited respawns for players, however the more often you die the longer it takes for you to respawn. Once the timer expires, the game ends and players receive XP and money(credits) depending how they did.

Once your back in the main chat room, you can go to your hangar to upgrade your Mech by purchasing better armor or weapons. Aside from upgrading your mech, you also earn XP to use on your Pilot to increase attributes, such as health, energy, aim, etc.

There are also Skills you can add to your mech to give them special moves to do. Currently you have to purchase these skills with credits, an idea I’m not very fond of. Even more so since these skills aren’t permanent, they have a 30 day timer, so you will eventually lose them and considering they aren’t cheap it seems like a waste of money. I think skills should be earned by winning matches as opposed to buying them, hopefully they’ll change this later on.

Aside from that, the graphics are pretty good, controls are very easy to learn and fun. Considering this is still in beta, I think the game can only get better.

As we are beginning to close out this year, and head into the next, we already have two MMORPGs who seem to be aiming for the top spot of the MMORPG world. Each one promising fun features and epic stories that will dethrone the illustrious WoW, who has held the top spot for the better part of 3 years now. For those who haven’t caught on yet (to either the title or references) I am speaking about Warhammer Online and Age of Conan.

Both Eidos/Funcom and EA/Mythic has set up release dates for their prospective games at the beginning of next year, which means they will both be thrown into a heated competition with each other, as well as Blizzards newest expansion: Wrath of the Lich King. So what does each of these games offer that will place them firmly into the #1 MMORPG spot? Lets see:

Warhammer Online

• Extensive RvR play that takes palce within PvP and PvE environments.
• War-centric theme.
• Based off of Games Workshop’s very popular IP.
• Player Tactics and Moral Skills
• Play models that change to reflect the power of your character, i.e. Orcs will grow in size.

Age of Conan:

• First mainstream-published mature MMORPG title.
• Expansive single-player game leading into the MMORPG.
• Action-oriented fighting system.
• Siege weapons.
• Massive battlegrounds.

Both games obviously build onto what World of Warcraft has already established, but will it be enough to actually topple the 800 lb. gorilla? With both offering different styles of play and both competing for the top spot anything can happen. Let’s just hope they both launch relatively bug-free, unlike some supposed WoW-killing MMORPGs.

I’ve been playing Tabula Rasa since it came out about two weeks ago and now have 14 hrs and 45 mins logged into it. Not much I know, but I’ve been busy and with my computer meltdown on the weekend I got the game, I really haven’t had a full weekend to devout to TR. So far my character is a lev 11 Specialist with some decent gear. I don’t have any good skills yet cause I’m still a low level, but I’m getting there.

At this point of the game, I’ve basically been quest grinding the whole time and not fun quests. Stuff like delivering supplies, messages, retrieving Logos (which basically means, go to this area on the map and click on the Logo) as well as the ever popular rescue quests. The only fun part of the game is the fighting. When your at a base and 20-30 baddies get dropped in by ships to attack your position, defending is fun as hell. You can even setup squads and go attack their position if your that bold.

What is it with MMORPG and quest grinding? Serious, who thought that was a good idea? If I didn’t think the game would be any better I would quit playing today, however there are some elements in the game that I really like such as fighting and PvP. Along side duals and group battles, clans can declare war on each other where all members will be PvP for 7 days which is a cool idea.

Omicronn Ligthstalker (yes I spelled light wrong) is my characters name if anyone wants to hit me up.

A new free to play MMO by NCSoft, Exteel, went into open beta today. Not the biggest news out there, so why am I blogging about it? Two reasons, I love mechs and MMOs, so put those together and I’m going to write about it. As I’m typing this I am simultaneously registering for open beta and will soon be downloading the game. I haven’t heard much about this game, other than what I just found on the website, so I’m not sure what to really expect, but considering NCSoft is behind it, I’m pretty hopefully. They have a pretty good lineup of MMORPGs, so hopefully this one will be worth playing, if its not, well hell its free anyway.

The only question I have now is why did it take so long for a mech mmo game to come out? I think Planet Side has mechs now, but its not a Mech MMO, big difference. I mean, who doesn’t like mechs? There huge robots, enough said. Anyway, I’m off to try this out. I’ll let you know if its worth downloading, even though it is still in beta.

In today’s MMORPG world most people belong to a guild. It makes sense, after all, these games are primarily made so you don’t have to be alone anymore when completing quests and running errands. Nobody wants to be alone, right?

Now with all these guilds and MMORPGs being made, there has been an influx of guild websites, or guildsites, springing up across the intertubes. Primarily, these websites are being made via free guildsite hosters such as GuildPortal (above) and Guildsites.com for the sole purpose of giving the members of said guilds an area on the web where they can access information about their raids, members, forums, etc without actually having to log into the game. A brilliant idea, in theory, but is it actually a useful feature?

Personally, I have been in quite a few guilds over about 7 different MMORPGs, and while a lot of them had guildsites for our guild, I never used them. As far as my knowledge went, most people inside my guilds didn’t use them either. Its not that it was inconvenient to use, or that it wasn’t helpful, it’s just when I was surfing the internet, why go to a site to find out about my guild when I can just s easily log in. Perhaps it is mainly used for people while they are at work? You tell me.

Today we have two subscription reports coming from Vivendi, publisher for World of Warcraft and CCP Games, the makers of Eve Online. The reports show both games had steady growth in the third quarter, Vivendi reporting that its subscriber base increased from 9 million to 9.3 million with solid sales coming in from the recently released expansion “The Burning Crusade“.   Eve Online has now stated it is nearing the 200,000 subscription mark currently at 195,000. This up from last quarter of about 160,000 accounts.

Considering that Eve is now nearly 5 years old and World of Warcraft nearly 3, it is very surprising to see that both these MMORPG are continuing to grow especially when you consider the amount of new MMORPG’s that have been released in the past few years. At this pace Blizzard is set to hit the 10 million mark sometime in 2008.

Eve Online Quarterly Economic Newsletter

Today we have our very first comic called “Item Grinding”. Enjoy.

There has always been a lot of competition between the eastern world and western world ever since the great Opium Wars in the 1800s. It takes place in our culture, technology, and, now, our MMORPGs. It has always stricken me as odd that our world has been divided into this us vs. them mentality and even now as we play our World of Warcrafts and Lineages we can’t help but get sucked into the eternal debate all over again. So which side is right?

If you were to take a look at our current MMORPG gaming scheme right now you’d notice there are already a vast amount of differences in not only how eastern and western MMORPGs play, but also how they are managed. Eastern MMOs tend to be more focused on a leveling scheme that makes you hunt monsters for extended periods of time, where as western MMOs tend to be more quest oriented where, instead of “grinding”, you complete this quest and that quest for the bulk of your experience. In addition to these play-styles, you will also find a good majority of eastern MMOs to be free and contain an “item shop” where players can pay to give their avatars some extra pizzazz, although a notable exclusion to this rule would be the Lineage series of games which charges $14.99 per month to play. Western MMOs tend to be completely pay2play. In fact the only western MMOs I can think of that differ from this rule are, arguably, not real MMORPGs, such as, Hellgate: London and Guild Wars. These are stark contrasts that usually carry over into forum debates about which is better, but really, why all the hassle? Here are some prime examples of eastern and western MMORPGs:

Eastern:

1. Lineage 2
2. Sword of the New World: Grenado Espada
3. Mu Online
4. RF Online
5. Archlord

Western:

1. World of Warcraft
2. Dark Age of Camelot
3. Tabula Rasa
4. Lord of the Rings Online
5. Everquest 2

MMORPGs are, for better or worse, yet another battleground for the east vs. west debate, and it will continue to be until the whole world finally gets over itself and just learns to stop caring about it. Amongst cars, policies, art, films, animations, and consumer electronics there now sits MMORPGs, the latest victim in a long drawn out battle.